Screens for projectors, such as projection televisions, are old and well known in the art. In their simplest form, these screens were formed of a simple panel of fabric, such as a piece of white material (“screen material”), hung from a ceiling or wall. While effective, these installations were somewhat permanent and in some applications it was desirable to have these screens be less-permanent, or removable fixtures. As a result, an array of deployable screens were developed.
One form of deployable screens is made by attaching the screen material to a rotating rod or tube. When the tube or rod is rotated, the screen material is rolled-up around, or unrolled from, the rotating tube thereby quickly and easily deploying or retracting the screen material. Many of these systems are operated manually by way of various manual operating systems such as pulling a drawstring connected to the bottom of the panel of fabric, or pulling a looped cord connected to a transfer mechanism that causes the rotating tube to rotate. While manual operation is effective, in many applications it is undesirable as it is inconvenient to manually operate the system. In addition, it may be aesthetically displeasing to have cords hanging down from the system in certain applications.
As a solution to manual operation, systems were developed that operate by activating a motor. Conventionally, these systems include an electric motor connected to the rotating tube that is hard wired to the buildings electrical system. This arrangement provides a constant and essentially unlimited amount of power to the system which allows for use of motors that produce a lot of power at the cost of consuming a high amount of energy. While these systems are effective, they have their disadvantages as the requirement for hard-wiring often requires advanced planning, expensive electrical work or unsightly exposed wires. Manufacturers of various deployable screen systems include Da-Lite of Warsaw, Ind.; Stewart Filmscreen of Torrance, Calif.; Vutec of Coral Springs, Fla.; Elite Screens Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif. among others.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for an improved motorized roller screen and method of use.
Thus, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that does not require hard wiring.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that provides long battery life.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that is well balanced/counterbalanced.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that operates by way of a tug and by way of manual movement by directly pulling the screen.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that operates by way of a remote.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that has a motor positioned in the rotating tube.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that has batteries positioned in the rotating tube.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen wherein the batteries are easily removed and replaced.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that is inexpensive.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that that has a long useful life.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that is durable.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that has a simple design.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that is simple to use.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that has a minimum number of parts.
Another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that operates quietly.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motorized battery powered roller screen that has long battery life.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.
Comparison to Window Coverings:
In this way, deployable screens share many similarities to roller-shade-type window treatments. A common window covering during the 19th century, a roller shade is simply a rectangular panel of fabric, or other material, that is attached to a cylindrical, rotating tube. The shade tube is mounted near the header of the window such that the shade rolls up upon itself as the shade tube rotates in one direction, and rolls down to cover the a desired portion of the window when the shade tube is rotated in the opposite direction.
A control system, mounted at one end of the shade tube, can secure the shade at one or more positions along the extent of its travel, regardless of the direction of rotation of the shade tube. Simple mechanical control systems include ratchet-and-pawl mechanisms, friction brakes, clutches, etc. To roll the shade up and down, and to position the shade at intermediate locations along its extend of travel, ratchet-and-pawl and friction brake mechanisms require the lower edge of the shade to be manipulated by the user, while clutch mechanisms include a control chain that is manipulated by the user.
Not surprisingly, motorization of the roller shade was accomplished, quite simply, by replacing the simple, mechanical control system with an electric motor that is directly coupled to the shade tube. The motor may be located inside or outside the shade tube, is fixed to the roller shade support and is connected to a simple switch, or, in more sophisticated applications, to a radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) transceiver, that controls the activation of the motor and the rotation of the shade tube.
Many known motorized roller shades provide power, such as 120 VAC, 220/230 VAC 50/60 Hz, etc., to the motor and control electronics from the facility in which the motorized roller shade is installed. Recently-developed battery-powered roller shades provide installation flexibility by removing the requirement to connect the motor and control electronics to facility power. The batteries for these roller shades are typically mounted within, above, or adjacent to the shade mounting bracket, headrail or fascia. Unfortunately, these battery-powered systems suffer from many drawbacks, including, for example, high levels of self-generated noise, inadequate battery life, inadequate or nonexistent counterbalancing capability, inadequate or nonexistent manual operation capability, inconvenient installation requirements, and the like.
Moreover, setting the operational range of a motorized shade or blind is necessary to assure control of solar gain and privacy. Therefore many known motorized roller shade designs have taken several approaches, for example, external limit switches, internal limit switches, and hard stops which stall the motor at the limits. Limit switches have inherent drawbacks as they can be expensive and can fail over time. External limit switches are typically installed during the installation which can be time consuming whereas internal limit switches are installed into the control system of the shade or blind and can be operated by lead screws and nuts or cams also adding cost. Hard stops require the installer to run a set up routine after the shade or blind is installed and provide a satisfactory way to set the upper and lower travel limits which define the operational range of the shade or blind. Typical drawbacks to hard stops include the noise, the wear and tear on the components and in the case of battery power supplies and the use of additional current to stall the motor which shorten the battery life.